Consider the following:
The domain of a website can tell you a lot about the purpose of the site.
.com = commercial site
.net =network provider
.org =organization
.edu =education - school or university
.mil = military website
.gov = government website
.com, .net, and .org sites are less regulated, meaning anyone can register for a website with that domain.
.edu, .mil, and .gov sites are more regulated, and tend to be more reliable.
You can limit your search results in Google to pages from a specific domain by adding site:(domain name) to the end of your search.
Example: campus safety and college site:edu would find information on exercise on diabetes published only by government agencies.
The Internet can be a valuable source for supplementing the information you have gathered from books and periodicals. Remember that we recommended .edu, .gov & .org. (Hint: Try an advanced Google search)
However, it is very important that you evaluate the information you get from the Internet to determine if it is reliable and useful to your research.
Countless web pages are available on just about every topic, but how can you know what's worthwhile or credible? Evaluation of web pages and websites has become a necessary part of the research process, and a means to sharpen your own critical thinking skills.
Some of the fundamental questions to consider during evaluation are:
AUTHORSHIP Note that "author" can mean a person or organization. |
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ACCURACY Information must be judged accurate and verifiable before you use it in your own research or assignments. |
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CURRENCY Look at both the date of publication and update, as well as the dates for any cited information. |
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CONTENT Does the information on the website meet your research or information needs? |
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PURPOSE The purpose of the site should be clear. Be aware that some sites present opinion as fact in order to sell or persuade. |
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DESIGN Visual layout, choice of images and media files often have an impact on a website's professional credibility. |
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